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According to the DSM, signs of inattention include:.
• Becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds.
• Failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes.
Rarely following instructions carefully and completely.
• Losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books,and tools needed for a task.
Some signs of hyperactivity and impulsivity are:.
• Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming.
• Running, climbing, or leaving a seat, in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected.
• Blurting out answers before hearing the whole question.
• Having difficulty waiting in line or for a turn. .
Under the criteria set by the APA, the diagnosis should include onset of the condition before age seven, lasting at least six months. There should also be a proven absence of mental illness or mental retardation.
Parents can remove a huge burden of guilt from blaming themselves for their child's behavior. Knowing that scientists are finding more and more evidence that ADHD does not stem from home environment, but from biological causes. In the article ADHD Decade of the Brain, scientists find, "Not all children from unstable or dysfunctional homes have ADHD. And not all children with ADHD come from dysfunctional families-. Some research shows that a mother's use of cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs during pregnancy may have damaging effects on the child. "These substances may be dangerous to the fetus's developing brain- (ADHD Decade of the Brain, 1990). One other theory that is not definite whether it is a definite cause or not is that refined sugar and food additives make children hyperactive and inattentive. As a result, many parents were encouraged to stop serving children foods containing artificial flavorings, preservatives, and sugars.
There is no cure for ADHD. While research continues to help scientists understand the underlying causes, treatments have been developed to provide relief of symptoms.
